3 Review(s)

The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication is a significant work in which Charles Darwin explores the effects of domestication on the variation and evolution of both animals and plants. This volume is part of Darwin’s broader inquiry into natural selection and heredity, and it provides essential insights into how domesticated species differ from their wild counterparts due to human intervention.In the first volume, Darwin lays the groundwork by discussing the principles of variation in domestic animals and plants, emphasizing how selective breeding practices influence traits over generations. He argues that domestication leads to considerable changes in the physical and behavioral characteristics of species, illustrating this with numerous examples from various domesticated animals, including dogs, horses, cattle, and pigeons, as well as cultivated plants like wheat and corn.